Device for causing combustion of furnace-gases.



G. P. BROWN. DEVICE FOR cAuslNG comuslow .0F FURNACE GASES.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 7, |917. Patented Dec. l?, i918.

GIDEON PILLOW BROWN, OF LAKE BLUFF, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO COMBUSTION IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OE DELA- WARE.

DEVICE FOR CAUSING COMBUSTION OF FURNACE-GASES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918..

Application filed February 7, 1917. Serial No. 147,068.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GmnoivV PILLOW BROWN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Lake Bluff, Lake county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for Causing Combustion of F urnace-Gases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for injecting hot air into the products of combustion in a furnace, for the` purposeof causing combustion of the inflammable gases that escape from the fuel on the grate, and which are employed in this manner, for eX- ample, to increase the eiiiciency of a steam plant, the result being that smoke is prevented, to a large extent, by the burning of the gases, and that a consequent reduction in the consumption of fuel is accomplished by reason of the more perfect combustion produced in the furnace.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide means whereby the air is more effectively and more highly heated than heretofore, before being injected into the gases and products of combustion, so that the inflammable gases will be ignited and burned with an intense heat.

A special object is to provide a device of this kind in which means are provided for rendering the device self-heating in character, by causing a thorough combustion of the inflammable gases near the surface of the device, so that the air will be very highly heated by the combustion of said gases before the air and gases are combined. y

Another object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement for retarding the passage of the air through said device, so that the air will be given ample time in which to become highly heated, and whereby a sufficient amount of radiating surface will be insured within said device to properly heat the air. Q

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a longitudinal section of a steam-boiler-furnace provided with a device for injecting hot air into the gases escaping fromthe fuel in thecombustion-chamber,

embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan-view of said device, showing certain portions thereof in section to illustrate the construction.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3 3 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4 4 in Fig. 3.

As thus illustrated, the furnace shown in Fig. l may be of any suitable, known or approved construction. As illustrated, this furnace is of the kind ordinarily known as a Babcock & Wilcox steam-boiler-furnace, being provided with water-tubes A which are inclined upwardly at their forward ends, so that the water circulates in the usual and well-known manner. The combustion-chamber has the usual grate B upon which the fuel is burned. The water-tubes have vertically disposed baflie plates l and 2, so that the boiler is divided into three passes, in the well-known manner, whereby the products of combustion escape upward through the rst pass and then downward through the second pass and then upward through the third pass, as indicated by the arrows, before escaping into the stack or chimney.

The device for injectin heated air into the gases and products o combustion can be of any suitable form or character, but with the boiler and furnace shown and described, this device is preferably in the form of a hollow disk C supported directly above the first pass of the boiler, at a distance from the lire, so that the products of combustion and unburned gases travel upward from the grate and come directly in contact with said device before descending through the second pass of the boiler. The air-supply-pipe o can be supported in any suitable manner. The device C should be made of some material which will not be destroyed by the re, such as fire-clay, and is preferably constructed as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, being provided interiorly with a lurality of concentric rows of curved bae-plates 3, with openings @L which form the gaps or breaks in the circles on which the said plates are located. The bottom 'of the hollow disk C is provided with a boss 5 to receive the upper end of the pipe C, and the annular periphery of said device is provided with outlets 6 for the heated air. The air becomes highly heated while passing through the disk C, as the baie-plates 3 retard the flow of the air and provide sufficient radiating surface to properly heat the air, so that when the air escape through said openings 6, it is heated to the temperature necessary for causing ignition of the inflammable gases forming part of the prod ucts of combustion.

ln order, however, to insure a siiliiciently hightemperature for the air, passages T eiltend from some of the openings 6 downward and then toward the tenter of the dislr ou the under side thereof (see ilig. 2), and the side walls of these passages on the under sido of the dish are provided with outlets 8, so that small jets of air are produced on the bottoni of the disk. This will ignite the inflammable gases immediately below the disl; C, causing intense heat atA this point, so thai a portion of the inflammable gases will l e used by the device to maintain the ncjiessary high temperature thereof. rl`he highly heated air es aping from the outlets t3 will produce combustion of the intlamnjiable gases, but it will be seen that this combustion occurs in greater part above the dish G, as the gases are ignited around the peripheryy of the dish and then pass in burning condition above the dislt and downward between the tubes of the boiler. The jets of not air es aping from the openings 8, which are smallerv than the openings 6, however, encounter the gases which strilre the bottoni the disk C, and in tais way some cf the gases are burned with intense heat immediately below the dish C, thereby causing the latter to be self-heating in character. The formed by the' openings o are longer, of (ourse, than the jets formed by the openings S. I

As stated, the disk C can be made of any suitable material, and when made of tireclay, as previouslyy suggested, can be ronstru ted in the following manner: T he body of the dish C tan be divided into upper and lower halves, each half being molded separately, nd the upper half can then be accurately placed on the lower half, and the two parts can then be secured or united in any suitable manner.

Any suitable means can be employed for supplying the air to the pipe c, but ordinarily the natural draft of the furnace is suiiicient to draw the air through the disk C, causing it to yescape fast enough and in sutilcient volume to produ e the desired combustion of the inflammable gases. it is obviousv` however, that the air can be supplied under pressure, if such is necessary or defrable.

W'hile the invention has been illustrated in connection with a Babcock lilcoXboiler, it will be understood tliatthe invention is applicable to the so-called Heine or Scotch boilers, and to furnaces in general, wherever it may be desirable to increase the efficiency by van influx of hot air to burn. the unioni seneca sinned gases which escape from coal or other fuel on the grate. As shown, the device is in the forni or a hollow disk L), as explained, but the shape and forni of this air-heater can be changed or varied to suit the requirements of different kinds of furnaces, in various ways, without departing from the spirit` of my invention.

Tfurthermore, the self-heating means (the means whereby the device is self-heating) consists7 as shown, of air-jets on the under side of the hollow dish, but the construction in this respect. can be changed or modied to suit the requirements, and ii do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described. lt will be seen that the invention involves the provision of air-jets for heating the device, the openings for these jets being so arranged that they sweep the surface of the body whereby the jets of air are directed along said surface. lt is also true, in the construction shown and described, that these jets for heating the'hollow body are so ai'- ranged that they impinge directly upon different portions of the body itself, as the airjets from the openings S of one passage 7 will shoot across the lower surface of the dish and impinge upon the side wall of the adjacent passage 7, thereby causing a coinbustion of the gases between the radially arranged ribs containing the passages 7 on the under side of the body.

it will also be seen that the air outlets 9 at the inner ends of the ribs containing the passages 7 are in such position that jets of air are directed inwardly against the boss 5 of the hollow body or disk C, so that a combustion of the inflammable gases will be caused immediately around said boss.

lVith the foregoing construction, it will be seen that the outlets or discharge openings 6 constitute a inain set of openings for the major discharge of the heated air, while the openings 8 and?) constitute an auxiliary set or of heated air,v whereby the device is selfheating in character, as previously eX- plained. Furthermore, it will be seen that a group of auxiliary openings is allotted to each passage leading thereto, these passages being provided by the ribs 7, so that the air remains longer in the device before reaching the auxiliary openings than before reaching the main openings, and is heated in the ribs 7, before escaping from the auxiliary openings, as wellas within the body of the device itself, whereby the minor discharge of air is of high temperature to produce the heat necessary to keepl the device Y more highly heated than would be the case if only the openings 6 were provided for the discharge of the air. y

What l claim as my invention is :f-

l. in la device of theclass described, ,in combination with a furnace having a comopenings to produce the minor discharge ico izo

bustion chamber, a hollow member located a distance from the fuel zone and disposed in position to inject heated air into the unburned gases passing off with the products of combustion and having self-heating means in the form of hollow ribs on the surface of said body, each rib having lateral air-j et openings to maintain a combustion of the gases immediately adjacent said member, so that said member Will be maintained at the temperature necessary for heating the air, each rib having an inlet communicating with the interior of said member, and a connection to supply air to said member.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination with a furnace having a combustion chamber, a hollow member located a distance from the fuel zone and disposed in position to inject heated air into the unburned gases passing off with the products of combustion and having self-heating means in the form of radial hollow ribs on the under surface of said body,l each rib having lateral air-jet openings to maintain a combustion of the gases immediately adjacent said member, so that said member will be maintained at the temperature necessary for heating the air, and a connection to supply air to said member, said ribs having inlets which communicate with the interior of said member, and said member having outlets.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination with a furnace having a combustion chamber, a hollow member located a distance from the fuel zone and disposed in position to inject heated air into the unburned gases passing olf with the products of combustion and having self-heating means to maintain a combustion of the gases immediately adjacent said member, so that said member will be maintained at the tempera# ture necessary for heating the air, said member having main outlets for the air, and said means comprising radial hollow ribs on one surface of said member communicating with the interior thereof, each rib having air-jet openings from which the jets of air Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the sweep said surface, and a connection to supply air to said member.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a furnace having a combustion chamber, a hollow member located a distance from the fuel zone and disposed in the path of the draft to inject heated air into the unburned gases passing 0E with the products of combustion, having a main set of openings for a major discharge to supply the heated air to the gases to cause combustion thereof in said chamber, and having an auxiliary set of openings for a minor discharge to maintain a combustion of the gases immediately outside of and close around said member, to increase the temperature thereof, so that said device will be self-heating to maintain the air at the temperature necessary to cause ignition of the unburned gases and products of combustion while carried along by the draft, and means to supply air to said hollow body.

5. A structure as specified in claim 4, in which the openings of the main set are larger than those of the auxiliary set of openings, so that long jets are formed by the main openings and short jets by the auxiliary openings.

6. A structure as specified in claim 4, and means inside thereof to distribute the air to both sets of said openings substantially as shown and describe 7. A structure as speciled in claim 4, and passages leading to said auxiliary openings, there being a group of auxiliary openings for each passage, whereby each passage leads to a separate group ofl auxiliary openings, and so that the air travels farther and remains longer in said device before reaching said auxiliary openings than before reaching said main openings, and openings to discharge the air from said body into said passages.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 24th day of January, 1917.

GIDEON PILLOW BROWN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

